UFC champ Renan Barao says there's no rush to move up to featherweight

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UFC champ Renan Barao says there's no rush to move up to featherweight

"Since we're waiting all this time, I can wait a little longer till February when he gets back," Barao recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio. "Then I can legitimately get the belt."

And if that happens, Barao's next challenge, well, that could be a little bit farther down the rankings, or it would have to be a rematch the way things stand right now.

In the top 10 of the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA bantamweight rankings, Barao has moved ahead of Cruz. And he's already got wins over Faber (No. 3), McDonald (No. 4), WIneland (No. 5), Brad Pickett (No. 6) and Scott Jorgensen (No. 8), who recently decided to drop down to flyweight. No. 9 Raphael Assuncao meets No. 12 T.J. Dillashaw in 10 days, so one of those two may continue to climb the ladder.

But a win over Cruz may put Barao as close to cleaning out a division as any other champ in the UFC.

There has long been talk of the possibility for Barao to move up to featherweight. But right now, the 145-pound kingpin is his friend and Nova Uniao teammate Jose Aldo.

The 26-year-old Barao said he believes there's more to do at bantamweight, and that any such decision would be made by the team's coach, Andre Pederneiras.

"Andre is going to decide what's best for the team," Barao said. "I've still got a lot of time to stay in the weight class. But it's up to my coach."

And until then, he'll wait and hope for the fight with Cruz.

"Of course I want to fight Dominick," he said. "I'm praying he gets better so the fight can actually happen. But if he doesn't, it'll be what the UFC decides. It's not up to me. I just want to bring the belt back to Brazil."

I can't wait for Barao to face Cruz. It'll be a damn good fight to watch. I want to see Barao attempt to figure out Cruz's movement, and also if Cruz can handle Barao's diverse striking. I would say Barao has a slight edge on the ground, but I don't know for sure.

On the move to featherweight, it would happen if/when Aldo moves to lightweight. It's a shame, because that's another fantastic matchup.

At the UFC World Tour stop in Rio de Janeiro recently, UFC president said that

“Renan Barao is a champion,” said White. “If you look at Renan Barao and what he has done, he’s beaten everybody that Dominick Cruz would be fighting if Dominick Cruz was healthy and was the champion. So, [the interim label] takes nothing away from [Barao], other than just that pin, that place holder until Dominick Cruz comes back.

“But for all intents and purposes, Renan Barao is the real champion. He’s the one that’s beating the guys that need to be beaten.”

This fight should be great, also looking forward to the points you mentioned. However, I wish that Cruz could have a tune up fight, he is going to be pretty rusty, he has been out so long.

Originally Posted by CA_Gas Bag

I can't wait for Barao to face Cruz. It'll be a damn good fight to watch. I want to see Barao attempt to figure out Cruz's movement, and also if Cruz can handle Barao's diverse striking. I would say Barao has a slight edge on the ground, but I don't know for sure.

On the move to featherweight, it would happen if/when Aldo moves to lightweight. It's a shame, because that's another fantastic matchup.